Public ponders City Walk

Tuesday

Apr 23, 2013 at 12:01 AM

TUSCALOOSA | Forest Lake area residents met with city officials Monday to discuss the latest plan for the new City Walk path that will meander through the neighborhood from Central Church of Christ to near 15th Street.

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

TUSCALOOSA | Forest Lake area residents met with city officials Monday to discuss the latest plan for the new City Walk path that will meander through the neighborhood from Central Church of Christ to near 15th Street.The response from residents was overwhelmingly supportive. “We are very much excited about the City Walk project and in favor of it,” said Donald Payne, pastor of Forest Lake Baptist Church. The walk will take some of the church's property, including eight to 10 parking spaces, he said.“Parking is at a premium for us since we are landlocked in and surrounded by school property,” Payne said. “But this walk will bring a lot of people near our door and by our new coffeehouse and give us some exposure that we haven't had in a long, long time.”The proposed route of the City Walk in Forest Lake will go from behind Central Church of Christ up Second Avenue, across to First Avenue near University Place Elementary, then up First Avenue to Forest Lake Baptist and then across what is now private property to 18th Street. From there, it will go north on Lake Avenue toward 15th Street. The walk will be for pedestrians and bicyclists. It will be 10 feet wide and in most areas have up to 10 feet of green space between the curb and the City Walk, with a 2-foot buffer between the walk and private property on the other side. The Forest Lake section of the City Walk will be the first to be built. Construction of the section behind Central Church of Christ broke ground this week. The rest of the City Walk through Forest Lake could see construction within the next 12 to 18 months, said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. First, the city must get resident input as part of an environmental analysis. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also must approve the plans before any work can begin. Overall, the input from residents has been supportive, Maddox said. “Since we started the Tuscaloosa Forward process, the vast majority of Forest Lake residents have been excited about this, and there has been widespread support,” Maddox said. The Forest Lake Homeowners Association, which represents the homeowners around the lake, have already voted on two plans presented by the city: Option B-2, which includes street parking on Lake Avenue and taking up approximately 6 feet more of property along Lake Avenue than the alternative; and Option D, which includes the same basic route through Forest Lake, but with a narrower street on Lake Avenue and no street parking, which would build City Walk on the city's right-of-way and take up less private property. In both plans, Lake Avenue would become a one-way street heading north. “The homeowners association has already voted and supports Option D, which takes up less property” said Robert Parsons, president of the association. “I think it's going to be great.”The Forest Lake Neighborhood Association, which is a separate organization, is also supportive of Option D but will take a formal vote next week, said Forest Lake resident George Harris. Forest Lake homeowners Joanna and Peter Biermann, who live near First Avenue and 18th Street, also voiced their support of the proposed project. They said they would love the opportunity to get out and walk or bike more.“I love to ride a bicycle and I love to walk,” Joanna Biermann said. “Perhaps I can ride my bike to work (at the University of Alabama.)”Joe Patrick said he grew up in Forest Lake and decided to move back to the neighborhood and rebuild the home where his mother lived before the April 27, 2011, tornado. He said some of the plans proposed Monday, including the one-way street on Lake Avenue, is something that has been needed for decades. “I think the City Walk will be nice,” Patrick said. “I've always thought there needed to be a sidewalk that emptied into the school.”Monday's meeting was a “meet-and-greet,” where area residents browsed maps of the proposed route and asked questions of city officials. No decisions have been made yet on which option will be used, said City Engineer David Griffin.“It's important for us to know what the public's view is,” he said. “All the comments are taken into consideration.”